Certain mobile platforms, such as aircraft, employ anti-icing systems and environmental control systems during the operation of the mobile platform. In certain instances, these anti-icing systems and environmental control systems require a source of hot or heated gas (i.e. gas at a temperature greater than ambient temperature). In order to supply the hot or heated gas, in the example of an aircraft, the hot or heated gas may be bled from a gas turbine engine associated with the aircraft.
The bleeding of hot or heated gas from the gas turbine engine associated with the aircraft, however, may reduce performance or efficiency of the gas turbine engine. Moreover, in the example of gas turbine engines that include compressors with multiple stages, it may be more desirable to use hot or heated gas from a lower stage of the compressor than hot or heated gas from a higher stage of the compressor. However, in certain instances, the gas associated with the lower stage of the compressor may not be at a sufficient temperature for use by the anti-icing system and/or environmental control system.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an improved pneumatic mixing valve, which mixes high pressure fluid flow, such as flow from a higher stage of a compressor, with low pressure fluid flow, such as flow from a lower stage of a compressor to result in hot or heated gas at a desired temperature for use by a system of the mobile platform, such as an anti-icing system and/or an environmental control system. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.